The Code: A Guide to Health and Human Performance

Ben Braverman dropped from 240 pounds and a couple of prescriptions to a sub-3:40 marathon, and he says the real transformation happened somewhere between his ears.   Ben joins Dr. Andrew Fix to talk about what actually changes when someone moves from the far end of the wellness spectrum toward something closer to optimization. His story starts with running for beginners in its truest form: a guy...

The real test of motivation begins in the morning when life gives you another reason to quit.   Motivation, drive, and aging all meet in one honest question. What keeps you moving when your body feels different, the news is hard, or the next step feels heavier than usual? In this episode of The Code, Dr. Andrew Fix reflects on a conversation with a client who felt discouraged after receiving diffi...

Red and near-infrared light may be the most underestimated recovery tool in your environment, and the science behind what it actually does inside your cells is far more compelling than the wellness industry gives it credit for.   Scott Chaverri didn't set out to build one of the leading red light therapy companies in the country. He was a burnt-out caregiver looking for anything that would help hi...

That tight hamstring you've been stretching might be your nervous system asking for something else entirely.   When pain shows up in one place, the source is often somewhere else. Dr. Andrew Fix walks through a real patient case from Physio Room where a woman who was experiencing persistent pain in her hamstring had been doing what most people do: stretching it out and hoping mobility work would e...

The secret to staying consistent might be hiding in your backyard.   Most people quit their fitness routines not because they lack discipline, but because progress is invisible in the short term. We live in a world wired for instant gratification, and when weeks of hard work in the gym produce no visible results, that invisibility is defeating. Yard work offers a useful contrast. Pull a weed, see...

When the question every injured runner is afraid to ask, "Do I have to stop?",  finally gets a straight answer, it turns out the real story has less to do with the pain itself and more to do with everything the runner wasn't tracking.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Dr. Vikash Sharma, DPT, founder of Perfect Stride Physical Therapy in New York, to talk through managing running injuries, avoiding s...

Most runners are one bad training week away from an injury they never saw coming, and the way they think about shoes, strength, and recovery is probably making that worse.   Dr. Drew Short specializes in working with runners at PhysioRoom, and his approach to running injury recovery starts somewhere most people wouldn't expect: months back in an athlete's training log. The culprit behind most inju...

Sleep isn't a luxury you negotiate with; it's the biological foundation every other health habit is built on, and most people are getting far less of it than they think.   Dr. Andrew Fix revisits one of the show's most foundational episodes for Better Sleep Month, and the timing feels personal. A new baby at home has a way of clarifying just how much everything falls apart when sleep does. Drawing...

Aging gets blamed for a lot of things that may have more to do with disuse, fear, and incomplete advice than the number of candles on your birthday cake.   Dr. Andrew Fix talks with physical therapist Eileen Kopsaftis about pain, aging, and strength through a lens that challenges the usual story of decline. Eileen questions the idea that weakness, balance issues, loss of independence, and chronic...

 An injury can sideline one limb without giving the rest of your body permission to quit.   When you’re in a sling, boot, or on crutches, the instinct is often to stop everything until you’re “cleared.” But what does that pause really cost? In this episode of The Code, Dr. Andrew Fix breaks down cross education and why training the uninjured side of the body can help preserve strength, limit atrop...

Hope is a beautiful liar when it convinces you that tomorrow will change what you refused to change today.   Dr. Andrew Fix offers a clear challenge to anyone who has been leaning a little too hard on hope. This episode asks what happens when hope feels good but preparation never follows and action never comes. Whether the issue is your health, your habits, your pain, or your relationships, how lo...

For athletes and high performers, the toughest opponent is often the voice in your own head.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Krista Juerling of Speakstone Counseling for a thoughtful conversation about mental performance, identity, and the pressure that can come with chasing excellence. What happens when the habits that fuel success also leave you depleted? Who are you when an injury, career shift...

A lot of workouts leave you exhausted, but the real question is whether they actually make you stronger.   Dr. Andrew Fix takes aim at one of the easiest traps in strength training: mistaking effort for progress. Feeling wiped out after a session can be satisfying, but that does not always mean your training is building useful strength. He makes the case for more intentional lifting by choosing lo...

The hardest part of growth is not finding the next big move; it is staying loyal to the basics when your ego wants a shortcut.   Backup plans can become excuses. Change creates pressure. Discomfort has a way of showing you whether you are serious about growth or just interested in the idea of it.   Dr. Andrew Fix reflects on a recent conference and brings the lesson home in a clear way: most progr...

One back injury turns into a stark reckoning with pain, recovery, and the life you stop postponing when your body forces you to pay attention.   Alex Kaminsky joins Dr. Andrew Fix for a conversation about what happens when a sudden setback makes everything feel immediate. Her story begins with a serious back injury and emergency surgery, but the heart of this episode is the comeback that followed....

What feels inconvenient, awkward, or disruptive today may be the exact pressure that pushes your life into its next shape.   As Dr. Andrew Fix prepares to leave the home where this chapter of The Code began, he uses the moment to reflect on how quickly life changes and what growth actually asks of us. A move, an early workout, a packed house, a full calendar. None of it feels especially polished....

What if the missing piece in better movement and healthier feet isn’t your shoes at all?   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with trainer and Aira Basics founder Rachel Ridgeway to unpack a surprisingly overlooked factor in foot health: socks. After switching to barefoot-style footwear, Rachel noticed less discomfort in workouts and a very different physical experience during pregnancy. One question kept s...

Your plans may look perfect on paper, yet preparation is what determines whether your goals survive the moment real life hits.   In this short solo episode, Dr. Andrew Fix reflects on the gap between planning and preparation. Many people enjoy creating plans because they bring clarity and structure. Yet plans often fall apart when circumstances change. Preparation is what makes those intentions du...

Your mattress may be the most important performance tool in your life and most people are choosing it based on marketing instead of measurable impact on sleep, recovery, and long-term health.   Sleep drives everything. Cognitive sharpness. Physical recovery. Emotional regulation. Longevity. Yet most people approach mattress shopping with guesswork and brand promises rather than clear performance c...

Most of your stress does not come from the situation itself. It comes from your refusal to accept what you cannot control.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix sharpens the distinction between inputs and outcomes. You can prepare, act with integrity, and make thoughtful decisions. You cannot dictate how the market responds, how other people choose, or how circumstances unfold. Stress escalates when w...

What if the simplest way to build strength, improve endurance, and sharpen your mind is already sitting in your closet as an old backpack?   Rucking sounds almost too simple to matter. Add weight to a walk and head outside. Yet in this conversation, Dr. Andrew Fix and registered dietitian and RuckFit author Kayla Girgen make a compelling case that rucking may be one of the most practical tools for...

Most people try to be more present by forcing focus when the real leverage comes from how you transition between moments rather than what you do inside them.   In this episode, Dr. Andrew Fix reframes presence as a skill built through transitions rather than effort alone. When work spills into home or one conversation runs straight into the next, stress builds quietly and attention thins out. The...

A simple shift from “I have to” to “I get to” can change how you experience everything from daily obligations to long-term endurance in life and health.   Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with mindset coach and author Chris Cullen to explore how the words you use shape your mindset and influence the perspective you bring to everyday demands. What begins as a subtle language change opens into a broader con...

Fitness does not fall apart when routines change but it does reveal whether your habits are built on consistency or convenience.   Traveling has a way of exposing what really supports fitness and weight loss when normal routines disappear. This episode of The Code looks at how movement, food choices, and daily habits hold up when life feels full and unpredictable. Dr. Andrew Fix draws from a recen...

If you want more energy, faster recovery, and better performance in the gym and in daily life, the way you fuel your body deserves as much attention as the way you train it.   This conversation looks at nutrition through a performance lens, with insights that apply whether you are training for the gym, long workdays, or full days of skiing in the mountains. Dr. Andrew Fix is joined by Katie Hardie...